This invention relates generally to the class of hand tools known commonly as lawn and/or leaf rakes. More specifically, the present invention is concerned with an improved molded plastic lawn rake head which includes a frame section composed of a first, synthetic resin and a tine section composed of a second, selected synthetic resin having physical properties differing from those of the first synthetic resin.
Molded plastic leaf or lawn rake tool heads of various designs and constructions have been available for purchase on the open market for many years. Typical of these molded plastic leaf rakes is one illustrated and described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,724,188 issued Apr. 3, 1973 to Eads (U.S. Cl. 56-400.17; Int. Cl. A1d 7/00) which proposes that the rake head be molded or formed in its entirety of polypropylene or like synthetic resin and which summarizes certain advantages of a molded plastic leaf rake head over the older steel or bamboo rake heads.
It has been found, however, that molded plastic leaf rake heads formed from, or composed of, a single thermoplastic resin, such as polypropylene, or polyethylene, while being comparatively inexpensive to manufacture, are lacking in certain physical characteristics or qualities, such as strength, durability, resiliency and eye appeal, which are desired by the average purchaser and user of lawn rakes. Furthermore, due to the comparative weakness of polypropylene and its low modulus of elasticity, the tines of a rake head formed therefrom must be relatively wide and thick to attain sufficient stiffness to enable them to function with any degree of efficiency.